---
meta_title: "5 Best Fathom AI Alternatives in 2025"
meta_description: "Discover the 5 best alternatives to Fathom AI in 2025. Get better conversation insights, stronger security, and truly unlimited note-taking."
author: "John Jeong"
created: "2025-10-15"
published: true
coverImage: "/api/images/blog/fathom-ai-alternatives/cover.png"
---

If bots make you nervous, privacy is on your mind, and you want more than simple note-taking and unlimited free recordings, then it's time to start looking beyond Fathom AI.

## Quick Fathom AI Review

I tested Fathom AI for weeks, and tbh it does what it says on the tin. It's a meeting bot that transcribes your Zoom, Meet, or Teams calls and generates summaries pretty fast (we're talking 30 seconds after the call ends) and the CRM sync is actually super useful for sales teams.

But soon you start noticing the cracks.

- **They're training AI on your meetings.** Not "might be" - they are, unless you manually dig into settings and opt out. Most people have no idea this is happening.
- **You can end up in their database without ever signing up.** If someone uses Fathom in a meeting with you, your voice, email, and conversation content gets collected. Then they might market to you.
- **The desktop app is basically a recording widget.** There's no place to jot down your thoughts during the meeting.
- **No real-time transcription** means you're flying blind during calls, and it doesn't work without internet. Dead WiFi? Dead tool
- **That bot is always visible.** For sensitive client calls or therapy sessions, having "Fathom Notetaker" sitting in your participant list changes the dynamic.
- **And their unlimited free plan is actually quite limited.** If you're only after free transcription and call recordings, sure it might work, but the AI summaries are capped at five/month.

If any of that bothers you, here are the top Fathom AI alternatives that you should definitely check out.

## Top Fathom AI Alternatives: Quick Comparison

| Tool | Best For | Starting Price |
|------|----------|----------------|
| Hyprnote | Privacy-conscious teams | Free forever (Pro: $8/mo) |
| Avoma | Sales teams needing coaching & deal intelligence | $19/mo base ($54-109 realistic) |
| Read AI | Teams wanting unified search across communications | $19.75/mo |
| Fireflies | Teams needing deep conversation analytics | Free (Pro: $18/mo) |
| Sembly AI | Enterprise compliance certifications | $15/mo |

## 5 Best Fathom Alternatives: Detailed Reviews

### 1. Hyprnote: For When Privacy Actually Matters

Full disclosure - I'm the co-founder of [Hyprnote](/). But that's exactly why I built it. After seeing how every other tool handles your data, I knew there had to be a better way.

**Here's what makes it different:** Everything stays on your Mac. Not "encrypted in transit" or "stored securely" - I mean your conversations literally never leave your computer. Hyprnote uses local AI models (we built a custom 1.1GB model called HyperLLM-V1) that run entirely on-device.

You get a real notepad interface. Open Hyprnote and you see... a notepad. You can type notes during meetings, and the AI enhances them with context from the transcript. Real-time transcription shows up while people are talking, not after.

**Best For:** Healthcare providers, legal professionals, financial advisors, government agencies, therapists, and anyone handling confidential conversations where data sovereignty isn't negotiable.

<Image src="/api/images/blog/fathom-ai-alternatives/fathom-1.webp" alt="Hyprnote vs Fathom" />

#### Key Features

- Real-time transcription during meetings (unlike Fathom's post-meeting only approach)
- Instant summary generation within seconds
- Notepad-like interface for active note-taking
- Customizable templates for any meeting type (therapy, legal, sales, interviews)
- AI Chat for follow-up questions with source verification
- Conversational search across all meeting history
- Multiple export formats (Markdown, PDF, Rich Text)
- Works with any meeting platform AND in-person meetings
- Smart Consent Management Package for compliance
- Flexible deployment options (local, self-host, or connect to custom AI endpoints)

#### Strengths vs Fathom

- **Complete local processing** - zero cloud exposure
- **Open source code** - for security audits and customization
- **No vendor lock-in** - choose your preferred AI models
- **Can work completely offline** - airplane meetings or sketchy WiFi? No problem
- **Bot-free operation** - no meeting disruption
- **No AI training on your data** (not even with an opt-out, it just doesn't happen)

#### Limitations

- macOS only currently
- Basic speaker identification - Distinguishes mic vs system audio, but can't automatically separate multiple Zoom participants
- Fewer integrations - No direct CRM sync like Fathom's Salesforce/HubSpot automation

#### Pricing

Actually free forever for core features. Unlimited transcription, unlimited AI summaries, no usage caps. Pro is $8/month if you want unlimited AI chat and custom templates. Enterprise pricing is for on-prem deployment, smart consent management, and SSO - [contact sales for a quote](/founders).

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### 2. Avoma: If You're Serious About Sales

[Avoma](https://www.avoma.com) is a complete revenue intelligence platform that actually helps your sales team improve.

**Here's what makes it different:** It joins meetings as a bot, but unlike Fathom's basic summaries, it automatically structures notes around what matters for sales - pain points, budget, decision criteria, next steps. If you're using MEDDIC or SPICED frameworks, it populates those fields automatically.

**Best For:** Sales teams needing coaching analytics, deal intelligence, and automated CRM updates. Works best for teams of 10+ reps who need scalable coaching.

<Image src="/api/images/blog/fathom-ai-alternatives/fathom-2.webp" alt="Avoma vs fathom ai" />

#### Key Features

- Automated CRM field updates (pain points, budget, buying intent, next steps)
- Two-way CRM sync with Salesforce and HubSpot - update anywhere, reflects everywhere
- Deal risk analysis flagging when engagement drops or stakeholders go silent
- Sales methodology tracking (MEDDIC, SPICED, NEAT, BANT, Sandler)
- Competitive intelligence tracking mentions across all conversations
- AI-powered call scoring based on custom criteria
- Talk-listen ratio, question quality, objection handling analysis
- Filler word tracking and monologue alerts
- Topic tracking showing what your team spends time discussing
- Curated playlists of best calls for training new reps

#### Strengths vs Fathom

- **Automated CRM field updates** - Goes way beyond Fathom's basic note sync
- **Call scoring without manager time** - Every call graded automatically (Fathom requires manual review)
- **Deal risk analysis** - Flags problems before they kill deals (Fathom doesn't track this)
- **Comprehensive coaching analytics** - Performance trends, not just transcripts
- **Complete meeting lifecycle** - Scheduling through follow-up (Fathom is recording only)

#### Limitations

- Expensive - Realistically $54-109/user/month once you add features you actually need (vs Fathom's $20)
- Complex setup - Expect 1-2 weeks getting everything configured (Fathom works in 5 minutes)
- Steep learning curve - Not "install and forget" software
- Bot-based recording - Still joins as visible participant like Fathom
- English-focused - Works in 30+ languages but optimized for English

#### Pricing

Starts at $19/user/month base, but you'll need add-ons ($35-70/user/month) for conversation intelligence and coaching features. Realistic total: $54-109/user/month for full functionality. Free 14-day trial available.

### 3. Read AI: The Everything-Everywhere Tool

[Read AI](https://www.read.ai) takes a completely different approach than Fathom. Instead of just doing meetings, it connects meetings, emails, and messages into one searchable knowledge base.

**Here's what makes it different:** Read's Search Copilot works across everything. Ask "What did the engineering team say about the API redesign?" and it pulls answers from meetings, Slack threads, and email chains. This is genuinely useful when you're trying to piece together decisions made across multiple channels.

**Best For:** Teams who need unified search across all communications, not just meetings. Works well for product teams, executives, and anyone coordinating across multiple platforms.

<Image src="/api/images/blog/fathom-ai-alternatives/fathom-3.webp" alt="Read ai vs fathom ai" />

#### Key Features

- Search Copilot querying meetings, emails, Slack, and CRM data in one place
- Pre-meeting summaries showing what happened last time and open action items
- Multi-meeting insights tracking discussions over time
- Custom tags for organizing meetings by type, team, or project
- "Send Read instead" - let the bot join meetings you can't attend
- Real-time transcription with speaker identification
- Automated meeting reports with summaries, action items, key questions
- Engagement metrics showing who's checked out or dominating conversations
- 20+ language transcription support
- Recording playback with synchronized transcripts

#### Strengths vs Fathom

- **Unified search** - One query across all communication channels (Fathom only searches meetings)
- **Pre-meeting context** - Shows relevant past discussions automatically (Fathom doesn't do this)
- **Email and message summarization** - Beyond just meetings (Fathom is meeting-only)
- **Engagement analytics** - Track who's participating (Fathom's metrics are more basic)
- **Send bot to meetings you skip** - Still get notes without attending

#### Limitations

- Stingy free plan - Only 5 meetings/month vs Fathom's unlimited recordings
- Bot joins uninvited sometimes - Users report this happening despite settings
- No offline mode - Requires internet like Fathom
- Limited free features - 5-meeting cap feels restrictive for regular users
- No in-person meeting support - Meeting platforms only, like Fathom

#### Pricing

Free plan offers 5 meetings per month with basic features. Paid plans start at $19.75/user/month.

### 4. Fireflies: When You Need Conversation Analytics

[Fireflies.ai](https://fireflies.ai) has been around longer than most competitors, and it shows in the analytics depth.

**Here's what makes it different:** The conversation analytics go way deeper than Fathom. Speaker talk time, sentiment analysis, topic tracking, even monitoring for specific keywords across all calls. If you're tracking how often competitors get mentioned or what objections keep coming up, Fireflies surfaces those patterns automatically.

**Best For:** Teams needing conversation analytics, sales teams tracking objections, product teams monitoring feature requests, or anyone managing high meeting volume.

<Image src="/api/images/blog/fathom-ai-alternatives/fathom-4.webp" alt="fireflies ai vs fathom ai" />

#### Key Features

- AskFred AI assistant answering questions across entire meeting history
- Speaker analytics showing talk time distribution, monologue alerts
- Sentiment analysis tracking emotional tone throughout conversations
- Topic tracking with automatic keyword extraction
- Unlimited transcription even on free plan (vs Fathom's 5 AI summary limit)
- 69+ language support with automatic detection
- Smart search across meetings with keyword and semantic search
- Auto-generated action items with assignee tracking
- Collections for organizing related meetings
- Video playback with synchronized transcripts

#### Strengths vs Fathom

- **Unlimited free transcription** - No limits like Fathom's 5 AI summaries/month
- **Deeper conversation analytics** - Pattern recognition across meetings (Fathom is surface-level)
- **69+ languages** - Much broader than Fathom's 25
- **More extensive integrations** - 58+ vs Fathom's handful
- **Mobile app** - Record in-person meetings (Fathom has no mobile app)
- **Better search functionality** - Semantic search understands context (Fathom is keyword-only)

#### Limitations

- Storage limits on lower tiers - Free plan only keeps 800 minutes per seat (Fathom has unlimited storage)
- Auto-shares summaries - Sends to all participants by default, must manually disable
- Bot announces itself - "Fred" appears as visible participant like Fathom
- Billing surprises reported - Trial-to-paid transition isn't always clear
- Language support hit-or-miss - Claims 69 languages but works best in English
- [Privacy concerns](/blog/is-fireflies-ai-safe) - Cloud processing like Fathom, no local option

#### Pricing

Free plan includes unlimited transcription with 800 minutes of storage and limited AI summaries. Paid plans start at $18/user/month.

**Also check:** [Top Fireflies AI Alternatives](/blog/fireflies-ai-alternatives)

### 5. Sembly AI: The Enterprise Compliance Specialist

[Sembly AI](https://www.sembly.ai) built its reputation on one thing: meeting the compliance requirements that make procurement teams happy. SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR - Sembly checks boxes that most meeting assistants ignore.

**Here's what makes it different:** Where Fathom gives you basic summaries and hopes you handle compliance yourself, Sembly was designed from the ground up for regulated industries. Healthcare, finance, legal - teams that can't afford to mess around with data security.

**Best For:** Enterprise organizations needing strict compliance, regulated industries (healthcare, finance, legal), teams building secure knowledge bases, or anyone where HIPAA/SOC 2 certification isn't optional.

<Image src="/api/images/blog/fathom-ai-alternatives/fathom-5.webp" alt="Sembly ai vs fathom ai" />

#### Key Features

- SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, FERPA, PCI DSS, and Microsoft 365 certification
- AI artifact generation turning meetings into business deliverables (project plans, requirements documents, reports)
- 42+ core languages with 32 additional beta languages (48 total) for global teams
- Advanced action item extraction with automatic assignee tracking and due dates
- Collections feature grouping related meetings for project or client-specific organization
- Enterprise-grade security with data encryption, audit trails, role-based access
- EU data residency options for GDPR compliance requirements
- Upload pre-recorded meetings for transcription and analysis
- AI chat querying past meetings for specific information

#### Strengths vs Fathom

- **Enterprise compliance certifications** - SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR out of the box
- **Artifact generation** - Creates actual business documents, not just summaries
- **Multi-meeting analysis** - Tracks trends across conversations (Fathom analyzes one at a time)
- **Flexible attendance** - Bot captures meetings you can't attend (Fathom requires you present)
- **EU data residency options** for compliance (Fathom doesn't offer this)

#### Limitations

- Bot-based recording affects meeting dynamics like Fathom
- Steeper learning curve than simpler alternatives - more features means more complexity
- Cloud-only processing - No on-premises option like Hyprnote
- Limited export options - No direct Word document export for summaries
- Higher price point than Fathom for full feature access
- Requires stable internet connection - No offline mode like Fathom

#### Pricing

Free plan offers 60 minutes of transcription per month. Paid plans start at $15/user/month.

## Final Verdict: Which Is the Best Fathom AI Alternative?

### Pick based on what actually matters to you

**If privacy matters at all, use Hyprnote.** Full stop. Nothing else keeps your data truly private. Healthcare, legal, therapy, financial planning - anywhere conversations are confidential, this is the only real choice. Plus you get real-time transcription and offline support that Fathom can't match.

**If you're running a sales team and budget isn't tight, go with Avoma.** The automated CRM updates and call scoring actually improve team performance, not just transcribe calls. The coaching analytics are worth the price if you're serious about revenue. Just budget realistically - you'll need $70-110/user/month for features you actually want.

**If you need unified search across all communications, Read AI is interesting.** The ability to query meetings, emails, and Slack in one place is genuinely useful for product teams and executives tracking decisions across channels. But negotiate that Pro pricing - don't accept the first quote.

**If you want conversation analytics on a budget, Fireflies works.** The unlimited free transcription beats Fathom's 5-summary cap, and the pattern recognition across meetings is deeper. Just watch the storage limits and disable auto-sharing to all participants.

**If compliance certifications aren't optional, Sembly is your answer.** SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR out of the box. Regulated industries can't use tools without these, and Sembly was built for that from day one.

Hope this helps!

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